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Disneyland vs. Walt Disney World: Ride by Ride, part 1 by MouseStation Crew
MouseStation Episode 425
Mark and Mike start a three-part series comparing those rides that exist in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World to decide which version of each they like best.

I don't understand why Mike thinks that the queue for Indiana Jones is not good, it's one of the best queues in the parks. I remember being extremely awed the first time I went through. I rode Dinosaur in Disney World and I don't remember the queue at all, we may have used FAST PASS though.

I definately agree that Splash Mountain is better at Disney World. It seemed a lot more like a "thrill ride" within the mountain (I'm pretty sure there is a section that appears to shoot you faster through a dark area with an extra small drop or so). Both are a great, fun ride. But the DW version has that extra bit of thrill that entertains. We were actually stopped on the DW version infront of the vultures just before the drop, so we have a great memory of that ride too.

I thought this was a great subject for the podcast! I'm not going to go through all of them because there are some attractions that I don't really have opinions on one way or another, but here are my thoughts:

Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room vs. Enchanted Tiki Room: Under New Management:
Is this even a question? While there are some dated elements to Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, it's still charming and it's over all pretty timeless. Under New Management on the other hand is just grating, unfunny, and at times downright insulting to both the original attraction and its creator. I personally feel it's the worst thing Imagineering has done and I'm hoping that when it comes back it'll be anything but Under New Management, heck, a new snack stand would be better in my opinion.

Jungle Cruise:
Ok, so this one's a little bit tricky. I'm a Disneyland regular, but I do get a chance to head out to Walt Disney World every once in a while (most recently summer of 2009) so my opinion may be a little skewed, but I found I enjoyed the Disneyland version better than the Walt Disney World version simply because we consistently get better skippers at Disneyland than at WDW. Now maybe we were just unlucky and got stinkers every time we rode it at Disney World, but we also noticed the trend throughout the resort in attractions like Turtle Talk with Crush or The Great Movie Ride; the cast member performances just weren't very good. Perhaps Disneyland benefits from being close to LA and there's a larger talent pool, but for whatever reason I prefer the Disneyland version simply because we've had more consistently good skippers.

Indiana Jones Adventure vs. Dinosaur:So first, I feel like I'm missing something. The comments about Dinosaur surprised me because I've always enjoyed the attraction, and it seemed like in your opinions the only redeeming feature was the queue. What am I missing? Why don't you like the attraction? I never got a chance to experience it as Countdown to Extinction, but it sounds like it was more exciting before they tied it in with Dinosaur, so is that the problem? (On a semi-related note, it's not like Dinosaur is really fondly remembered, maybe it's time to ditch the tie in and bring back the scarier effects).

Anyway, all that being said, I enjoy Dinosaur, but I prefer Indiana Jones. I think the whole experience of Indy is better, from the 1930s theming in Adventureland, to the queue (which, like bumblebeeonarose, I think is one of the best in the park) to the ride itself. It's one of the most immersive attractions Imagineering has ever done. Now, if they could only keep it from breaking down.

Treehouses (Tarzan vs. Swiss Family Robinson):
For this one I'm going to go with Tarzan's Treehouse. I think it's in general more appealing than the Swiss Family Treehouse because of the interactivity and the Tarzan theming. I also disagree with the idea that the figures from the movie cheapen the experience, it's called Tarzan's treehouse, and so, as an audience, you expect to see Tarzan, it'd be like taking the Pirates out of Pirates Lair or removing all but subtle references to Sleeping Beauty in the castle walkthrough. True, it's a little ham-fisted at times, and it's generally not as impressive as the two attractions I compared it to, but I think it tells a better story and has more life as Tarzan's Treehouse than Swiss Family Robinson.

Splash Mountain:
I'm going to go with Disneyland on this one, I enjoyed the queue more at Disney World, and I prefer the side-by-side seating, but I thought the attraction itself wasn't as good. It's hard for me to put my finger on exactly the problem, but it didn't have the same life to it that Disneyland's has. It seemed a little overworked, like they tried too hard to one-up the Disneyland version that it lost some of its simple charm in the process. Like I said, it's hard for me to put in words exactly why I prefer the Disneyland version, but it just sort of feels better.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad:
These are both pretty similar, but I'm going to go with Walt Disney World on this one. It just feels bigger and faster, and I enjoy the aesthetics of the Florida Mountain more than the Anaheim one. Sure Disneyland's has the historic element to it, but I prefer Disney World's.

Haunted Mansion:
I'm going to go with Disney World for this one. I haven't seen the new effects they've added, but based on my 2009 trip the Florida version felt grander and more immersive. I liked the fact that as you hear the opening monologue the portrait of Master Gracey slowly transforms, and I like the new Esher staircase room, and I think the Mansion itself looks more eerie than the Disneyland one. I will say, though that I'm not overly impressed by what I've seen of the new effects, technology wise they look great, but I don't feel they match with the tone, but from my experience in 2009, I prefer the Florida version.

Pirates of the Caribbean:
Again, this is another one that's hardly a question. Disneyland has the full attraction, Disney World has the highlights reel. If Disney ever decided to expand the Florida version of the ride to be the full attraction while still keeping the very impressive queue I might be persuaded to change my mind (because that is a very impressive queue), but as it stands now the Anaheim version is hands down the best.

Fantasmic!:
Disneyland, hands down. Forget the fact that Rivers of America is a better setting, forget the fact that Disney has a superior dragon, forget the fact that Disneyland has the Columbia and the Mark Twain as part of the show. Those are all important reasons why the Disneyland version is better, but even if those were all exactly the same, Disneyland would still have the better show, because Eisner watered down the Florida version of the show in an attempt to get more of his movies in it. During the bubble montage the show effectively stops for an extended period of time, the Peter Pan scene is way better than the Pocahontas scene, The Jungle Book scene is better than The Lion King scene, and the villains scene in the Florida one just drags on with way too many villains.

I'm looking forward to parts 2 and 3, and obviously my opinion was skewed more towards Disneyland on this one, theres some attractions I have in mind that are definitely better at Disney World that weren't in this show.

Thanks for the feedback, folks! Part 2 is in the can, and depending on how much feedback we get on that, we'll either run all of this at the end of Part 3 or maybe make a whole show out of the feedback with Listener's Take on Ride-by-Ride.

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